Yes, Messier came to NY and brought alot of his Oiler buddies. But this should be pointed out....It was a Ranger draft pick who played college puck up in your neck of the woods at BC by the name of Brian Leetch who won the Conn Smythe that year. And it was another Rangers prospect by the name of Mike Richter who goalied that team past a far more talented Vancouver team than the 1 your Bruins just beat. McLean>Luongo. Bure,Linden,Ronning>Sedins, Kessler.Posted by nyjnyynyrnyk

Is that the best you can do? Imagine. teams with NO salary cap, were able to ice stronger teams than are playing now.No kidding!!The cup winners may not be as powerful, as teams a decade ago, but winning the cup is even sweeter now, because it is a much more even playing field, and no one can buy the cup anymore. They have to earn it.

In New York, it's not always about wins and losses, but about making the news and keeping up with the Joneses. In this case, the Joneses are the Yankees. New York fans are used to their team getting the top guy available. MSG is sold out for every game, every year, and so Sather isn't going anywhere. He understands the business model.

If the Islanders win the Cup next season and the Rangers finish in the middle and miss the playoffs, the Rangers will still hold 10 times the popular vote in New York. "Hey we're trying, come see us win" is enough to sell all the tickets they need to sell. Whether or not they actually do is a different story.

Check the newspapers from New York today. It's all NYY with some NYM. They also have to compete (usually) with NYG, NYJ and the (lol) Knicks. Tomorrow's papers, in July, will have the Rangers as the #1 story. Their model is to stay in the news and if they happen to win along the way, hey, all the better.

You are right RHO. The Rangers have a history of signing the most expensive UFA's and then seeing them go broadway and forget how to play hockey. There must be something in the water there.....Posted by jmwalters

jm - Should be interesting to see what hooking up with Tortorella again does for him.

Yes, Messier came to NY and brought alot of his Oiler buddies. But this should be pointed out....It was a Ranger draft pick who played college puck up in your neck of the woods at BC by the name of Brian Leetch who won the Conn Smythe that year. And it was another Rangers prospect by the name of Mike Richter who goalied that team past a far more talented Vancouver team than the 1 your Bruins just beat. McLean />Luongo. Bure,Linden,Ronning>Sedins, Kessler.Posted by nyjnyynyrnyk

I have no doubt in my mind the Bruins Cup run wouldn't have even got out of Round 1 if they drew the Rangers. Getting Montreal was a blessing for them. The Rangers always play the Bruins tough, Took 3/4 from them this year, Won both games in Boston. The Bruins are no powerhouse, They simply got hot at the right time. They're no Detroit, NJ, or Pittsburgh in the makings, They won in a year where Crosby and Malkin were on the sidelines. And they should give Joe Thornton a ring for knocking out Detroit who is a far more Cup savvy team than Vancouver. The Wings wouldn't have been at all scared playing on the road in the Finals like the Canucks were. Things broke your way, Don't think otherwise.Posted by nyjnyynyrnyk

All teams that have won the cup get some kind of breaks along the way. DON'T THINK OTHERWISE. Bruins busted their buts to win that cup and deserve it. DON'T THINK OTHERWISE!